Freight car with dumping body



Jan. 11, 1949. c, LIMA FREIGHT CAR WITH DUMPING BODY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 50, 1944 lNVENTOR ATT RrQEY "Jan. 11, 1949. H. c. LIMA 2,459,035

FREIGHT CAR WITH DUMPING BODY Filed May 50, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 4 INVENT R Y %u q/7 (".a

4, v 5. BY

W W W.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 11 1949 UNITED STATES PAT-Em ore-ice flenryCpLima, Flushing, N. al zassignorrof onefourth toMax W. Davis, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application-May '30, 1944; SeriaPNo. 538;I4

2 Claims.

This invention relates to dumping cars, especiallyto railway freight cars with dumping bodies. and :has iorian object to provide an improved construction whereby the :load 'may be :easily and quickly-dumpedateither side of the car desired.

.Another object is 'to provide a construction in which :the car ,is divided into a plurality of ,sections :any one of .whichmaybedumped independently of .the others and toward-either sidecfthe car.

.Another-object is to provide a car-ofr-this char acter in which the dumping of any vdesired :section-may be controlled from a-control stationton the car.

Withthe foregoing and=other objects in view I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. .It is, however, to be understood the .inventionis not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown but may embody various 1 changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

[In .thesedrawings:

.Fig. .1 isaside elevation of.a.rai1way freight car showing my invention applied thereto, parts beinglbr-okenaway to more clearly show theconstruction;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the operating mechanism .for-zdumping the various sections, part of the frame or bed. of the carbeing shown insection;

Fi-g..-3 is a transverse section substantially on thelline 3. 3 of Fig. 1;

.Fig. A isa-detailed horizontal sectional view of a portion of the hinge-means foradumping section, and

Fig.5 is-a vertical section substantially on the line 5-5 .of Fig. 4.

The showing inthe drawing is somewhatdiagrammatical, specific details being omitted .for the sake of clearness. The car comprises the usual trucks with wheels-H running on the rails llsupporting the frame or bed l3,:including a -:ho1low construction M in which is mounted operating mechanism for dumping the svarious sections-of the car. Thematerial carryingmortion of the car-or body is formedin sections 15, four ofthese-sectionsbeing shown in the drawing, Leach being .a hollow body section extending the fullwidth of the;car and being about ten feet inelength, although of course the dimensions may vary depending on the --size\of "thelcar andits construction. Each section, however; is mounted independently of each of -the'jother sections and maybe loaded and dumped independently: ofeach 2 other. It may also be removed from the :car independently :of the other sections.

Each body section 15 :is -mounted .on hinge means l6 located at opposite sides of "the ;bed :or frame so :constructed and arranged that each body .-section may be tipped or dumped in either direction, or that is, toward ..either:side of the car, asiindicatedin Fig. 3. A-simplezandefiective means for mounting each section comprises a block lJ-mounted on the {top .wall l8'of .theibed or frame and .secured thereon by any suitable means, such as bolts or rivets i=9. ,Formed inthe top wall of this blockis, a-curved recess 20, preferably however, not runningthe full length of the block sothat the outer-endof .the recess is closed by the transverse wall .21, but the recess opens through the otherend wall so that a curved-hinge member .Zimay seat in the socket. This hinge memberimaysconvemently be. a circular tubelrunning substantially the length of .the section, there being a'block .ll mounted at each of the foul cornerscfthesectionand each tube 22 seatin at itsopposite-ends in the sockets in a pair of these blocks. The transverse end walls 2| prevent the tubes sliding longitudinally in the sockets. It will be seentherefore that when the tubular hinge-members are'seated in the recesses in the four blocks'the body 'sectionis effectively mounted and held in proper-position 'on'the bed or *frame of -the*car,'but that the tubularhinge members 22 may turn in the "blocks l1 so that the body may be swung =or tipped thereon in either direction or toward either side'of the car, ee -indicated inFig. -'3,-each-hinge member or tube 22 being-.adapted to lift from its socket or block H to-permit swinging of the body section about the *hinge means'at the opposite side of the car. Other types of hinge means =maylbe employed, but that-shown has been found to-be very'effective and of very simple :and rugged construction.

iPowenmeansisprovided:for dumping or :tipping -:each individual section as desired. The main ::part of this :power :means .is /mounted in theihollowdoaseor framelportionilz l so that -.it.is enclosed and vprotected and comprises a series of shafts driven by .:a suitableelectric .or other motor 213, or it could-beioperated :bylhandthrough a-.crank adapted'to' be @applied to the aendlfl of the shaft 215 ran-d operated through ;a irreleasable clutchZB. .The shaft 25 :maybe driven by the motor 23 through a releasable clutch 21 controlled by any suitable means such as :ahand lever 28. s The :shaft :25 drives an intermediate longitudinal :shaft :29 through suitable gearing 30and.mounted on thisshaftare a plurality of gears 3| meshing with gears 32 and 33 on a series of short shafts 34 to 4| inclusive, each gear 32 and 33 being adapted to drive its respective shaft through a releasable clutch 42 controlled from a hand lever 43 through a connecting rod 44 or 45. On each shaft 34 to 4| is mounted a pair of drums 4B and 41 on which may be wound operating cables 48 and 49.

The control levers 43 for the individual body sections and also the control 28 for the motor 23 are preferably located at a control station 50 on the car, and this is preferably at the center of the car between the two inner body sections 15. Between each two adjacent sections l and also at each end of the car is an upright structural frame 5! and 52 respectively, and at the center of the car there are two of these frames 53 separated sufliciently to form the control station and provide a space for the operator. The and frames 52 could be braced longitudinally by suitable bracing members 54. These frames may be of any suitable construction but as indicated in Fig. 3 they are shown as comprising upright channel or I-beam sections 55 at either side of the car with a similar top cross member 56 and an intermediate cross member 57. There also may be an upright central member 58 with suitable bracing as found desirable. Mount-ed in each frame at the upper part thereof and adjacent the end of the section I5 is a pair of grooved pulleys 59 over which run the cables 48 and 49 to similar grooved pulleys 6D and 6! mounted on each section I 5 adjacent the opposite sides thereof at the lower part of the section and at its opposite ends whereby either side of the section may be lifted and the section tipped or dumped in either direction, asindicated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 3, the free ends of the cables after passing over the pulleys 60 and. 6! being secured to the adjacent frame 5|, 52 or 53 as indicated at 62. The opposite side Walls or outer walls of the individual sections [5 may be provided with gates or closures 63 hinged to swing at their upper ends by suitable pivotal supports 64. These gates or closures may normally be secured in closed position by a suitable catch or other securing means (not shown).

Operation is as follows:

When it is desired to dump any individual section I 5 the securing catches or latches for the closures or gates 63 on the side on which it is desired to dump the material are released, then the operator at the control station by engaging the clutch 2'! will start the shaft 29 operating, and then by engaging any one of the clutches 42 he may tip or dump any individual section l5 desired. Suppose for example he wishes to dump the lefthand end section l5a to the left as viewed in Fig. 3. He will engage the clutch 42 on the short shaft 36. This will operate the drums 46 and 41 on this shaft to operate the cables 48 which operate over one of the pulleys 59 and the pulleys 6! at the opposite ends of section I5. This will raise the pulleys 6| to the position shown in Fig. 3, thus lifting the right hand side of the body section l5 to the position shown in full lines. This operation lifts the hinge means 22 at the right hand side of the body section from its supporting blocks ll while the hinge means 22 on the left hand side of the body section turns in its supporting blocks l1 and acts as a pivot or hinge. The gate or closure 63 having been released, it may swing open as indicated to permit the material within the body section i5 to flow from the section. By releasing the clutch 42 the weight of the section will carry it back to its original position which movement may be controlled by manipulating the clutch 42.

If it is desired to dump the section in the opposite direction or to the right hand side of the car the operator will engage the clutch 42 on the shaft 37 thus operating this shaft and the drums 46 and 41 thereon to operate the cable 49 running over the pulleys 50 to lift the left hand side of the section l5 to the dotted line position in Fig. 3. In this case the hinge means 22 at the left hand side of the section wil be lifted from the hinge blocks I! and the section will swing or turn on the hinge means 22 at the right hand side of the section, turning in its blocks 11. The same operation may be employed for any one or all of the sections l5. These sections may be either open at the top as where transporting coal or other material that it is not necessary to protect from the weather, or the tops may be closed and have suitable hatches or closures to use for transporting grain or other material which must be protected from the weather.

It will be clear from the above that each individual section may be readily dumped in either direction or toward either side of the car and that each section may be dumped independently of each of the other sections, although if preferred the shaft sections 36, 34, 38 and 40 could be connected so as to be operated together and similarly the shafts 31, 35, 39 and M could be connected so that all of the sections could be dumped together. It will also be seen that each individual section may be readily lifted and removed from the car by suitable crane or lifting apparatus after the operating cables 48 and 49 have been disconnected to either place the individual sections, on a loading platform or on a truck without dumping the load and a different and empty or loaded section placed on the car in its place. Thus this car could be used to facilitate loading and unloading where it is not desired to dump the individual sections. The bearings on the hinge supports could be reversed, that is the tubular members 22 mounted on the supporting structure and the socket members l1 mounted on the container. 3

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention what I claim is:

l. A dumping car comprising a supporting structure, a plurality of containers mounted on said structure, means mounting each container to swing toward either side of the car from an upright intermediate position so as to dump the container at either side of the car, mechanism on the structure for swinging each individual container in either direction to dump the container comprising a longitudinal shaft, means for operating said shaft, secondary shafts operated at times by the first shaft, clutch means for controlling the operation of the secondary shafts by said longitudinal shaft, drums on said secondary shafts, and cables connected to the drums and to the opposite, laterally extending sides of the container and to the supporting structure to swing the container in opposite directions.

2. A dumping car comprising a supporting structure, a plurality of containers mounted on said structure, means mounting each container to swing toward either side of the car from an upright intermediate position so as to dump the container at either side of the car, mechanism on the structure for swinging each individual container in either direction to dump the con- 2,459,0aa 5 6 tainer comprising a longitudinal shaft, means for I operating said shaft, secondary shafts parallel to REFERENCES CITED the first shaft, manually controlled means for The following references are of record in the operating the secondary shafts from the first file of this patent: shaft, drums on the secondary shafts for opera- 5 tion by rotation of said shafts, and cables con- UNITED STATES PATENTS heating the drums to the container and windable Number Name Date on the drums to swing the container in opposite v 1,089,964 Rice Mar. 10, 1914 directions by rotation of the drums. r 1,798,304 Cartzdafner Mar. 31, 1931 HENRY C. LIMA. 10 1,813,022 Burner July 7, 1931 v 1 

